Brexit Will Make The UK More Vulnerable To Cybercrime

The likelihood of the United Kingdom exiting the European Union will put a huge strain on agencies tasked with protecting citizens, businesses and government entities from cyberattacks, said security experts.

Assuming a Brexit does take place — and many are still hoping it will not — expect a rise in hacktivism, a reduction in tech talent, a decrease in information-sharing and increase in regulatory complexity, at least for the foreseeable future, they said.

Hackers thrive in environments of chaos and uncertainty, and the political and economic turmoil the UK finds itself in presents an opportunity.

“Cyberspace is one place where people vent their steam and take action with relatively few risks of consequences,” said Stephen Cobb, Senior Security Researcher at ESET, a Slovakia-based internet security software firm. “It does not take many activists to cause a lot of problems.”